0:00:04 > 0:00:08In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:10 > 0:00:17His name was George Bradshaw, and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see and where to stay.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Now, 170 years later, I'm making four long journeys
0:00:27 > 0:00:30across the length and breadth of the country
0:00:30 > 0:00:34to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56150 years ago, George Bradshaw produced
0:00:56 > 0:01:01the must-have railway maps, timetables and guidebooks.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Now, using one of those ancient guides,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I'm making four long journeys across our country
0:01:06 > 0:01:10to view Britain through the proud and prudish eyes of the Victorians
0:01:10 > 0:01:14and to learn how much they made us what we are today,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18but also to appreciate how much we've changed since.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Today, I'll head to the treacherous quicksands of Morecambe Bay.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Even on dangerous quicksands, you won't go down. You can lie flat and roll out.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34I'll be making a sobering visit to Preston.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37It means there's 12% alcohol, which is deadly poison.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40If you injected it into your cat, it'd drop dead.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43- I'd never thought of doing that. - No, you wouldn't.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48And I'll be taking in a music-hall revival in Blackpool.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52- Ready to give your performance? - I think we should get in there, we've got an audience as well!
0:01:52 > 0:01:55# Adlington or Darlington Torrington or Warrington
0:01:55 > 0:02:01# Sure that she would find it in the Bradshaw's guide. #
0:02:07 > 0:02:09This week, starting in Preston,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13I travel along the first rail link between Scotland and England.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Heading inland, I'll take the beautiful Settle to Carlisle line
0:02:17 > 0:02:19before visiting the Lake District.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Then, following my Bradshaw guide,
0:02:22 > 0:02:27I'll end up at my mother's home town of Kirkcaldy.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Today, I'm covering the first 60 miles
0:02:34 > 0:02:39up the west coast to Blackpool and then Morecambe Bay.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45'Next station will be Preston, next station.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49'Change at Preston for Lancaster and stations further north.'
0:02:49 > 0:02:54My first stop is one of the North's busiest railway stations, Preston.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02The size of the station at Preston
0:03:02 > 0:03:05reminds us that this was a huge industrial town,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08but even today it is the hub of railways
0:03:08 > 0:03:10spreading out throughout Lancashire.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16In Bradshaw's day, there weren't buffet cars on trains.
0:03:17 > 0:03:23Instead, you could get tea or food on the platform at large stations.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29In 1914, Preston's refreshment rooms took on a truly strategic role.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- Hello.- Hi.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Can you tell me about the history of the buffet here?
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Well, the buffet's been here for, well, as long as the railway station,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44but I think the history you're on about is The Great War of 14-18
0:03:44 > 0:03:48where the WVRS provided, on a 24-hour-a-day basis,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52refreshment for the troops moving up, moving back.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57And this carried on until 1919, with the demobilisation of the troops.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00They carried that service on right through and it never closed.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04It was providing 24 hours a day for almost five years.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07How many cups of tea got served here during World War I?
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Well, I'm led to believe it's about 3.25 million,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13which is an awful lot of hot water!
0:04:17 > 0:04:22Today, Preston is the centre of Britain's high-tech military aircraft industry,
0:04:22 > 0:04:27but in the mid 19th century, it had a rather different reputation,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30for hard boozing and industrial unrest.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Bradshaw's guide says of Preston,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38"It's become one of the principal manufacturing towns of the country.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40"There are upwards of 50 cotton mills in the town.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44"The commercial annals of this town are memorable
0:04:44 > 0:04:48"for two long continued disputes between employers and employed."
0:04:48 > 0:04:54Preston was a place where the early problems of the Industrial Revolution emerged
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and a place where those problems were first tackled.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Working life was pretty grim.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05So, perhaps it's no surprise that some workers turned to alcohol.
0:05:05 > 0:05:11But in 1832, Joseph Livesey founded the first British temperance movement here
0:05:11 > 0:05:16based on his belief that alcohol was the root of most social ills.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The temperance movement still exists and Anne Hindley is a member.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25So, why did Joseph Livesey found the temperance movement?
0:05:25 > 0:05:30Well, he saw the trouble there was with drink
0:05:30 > 0:05:33round his community and in Preston itself.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35The temperance movement even made films
0:05:35 > 0:05:39to warn workers of the dangers of alcohol.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42People who believe in temperance make a pledge, don't they?
0:05:42 > 0:05:43What is that pledge?
0:05:43 > 0:05:48The pledge is that they will not drink again in their lives.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Total abstinence.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55No moderation, total abstinence for the rest of their lives, like I did.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- I signed the pledge.- Have you ever had a drink yourself, Anne?
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Yes, I have. A long, long, long time ago.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02People don't think of drink as a drug.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It is a drug, and it's at the top of the list.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08It's absolutely poisonous to the human body.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13When you see volume, whatever it is, 12, it means there's 12% alcohol, which is deadly poison.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17If you injected it into your cat, it would drop dead.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- I'd never thought of doing that. - No, you wouldn't.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25So, how did the temperance movement develop?
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Did it become a very big thing?
0:06:26 > 0:06:32Joseph was a preacher. He preached and he preached temperance and he told everybody about it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37People came from all over the world to see him.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Cheap train travel allowed tens of thousands of people
0:06:41 > 0:06:45to journey to temperance rallies to hear Joseph Livesey speak.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50By the 1900s, it was estimated that one in ten people was teetotal.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Temperance peaked during World War I
0:06:53 > 0:06:56when new licensing laws reduced pub opening times,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58but Britain stopped short of the prohibition
0:06:58 > 0:07:00practised by the Americans.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05Do you feel that you're in tune with your Victorian predecessors?
0:07:05 > 0:07:08I certainly do.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10That's why I do this.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13It's a wonderful thing to be able to do,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18to have the knowledge to do it, and I've spent my life, really, doing it.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27The railways not only brought people to the rallies in Preston,
0:07:27 > 0:07:34but also took workers on day trips and summer holidays to the newly accessible seaside resorts.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38This is the Blackpool Belle,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40the passion wagon!
0:07:40 > 0:07:44A train on which romances were made.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53The next part of my journey takes me 20 miles away to the coast.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59There is Blackpool Tower
0:07:59 > 0:08:04and we're still two stops away from Blackpool, but at 158 metres,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07about 500 feet, you can see it from miles and miles away.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14The Blackpool Belle carried young men and women
0:08:14 > 0:08:18from nearby towns to the bright lights of Blackpool.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23And two of them have agreed to meet me somewhere on this train.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27You're Norma and Norman, aren't you?
0:08:27 > 0:08:28I'm Michael. Hello.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34- So, I understand you two met on the train.- We did.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Where we come from originally, Radcliffe near Manchester,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41during the illuminations they ran the Blackpool Belle,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44otherwise known as the passion train!
0:08:44 > 0:08:46So, what was going on there?
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- Well, it was kissing and cuddling. - Kissing and cuddling.- Yes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- Oh, there was nothing else. - Strictly that.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Oh, yes. I mean, it wasn't corridor trains in those days,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59they were the single carriages, so once we'd left Blackpool,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03we were well clear of Blackpool Station, the bulb came out,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07went on the luggage rack, it was never broken.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13- No.- When we got near Chorley, you'd see the train light up all the way along then.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15The bulbs was put back in!
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Because we're talking about the 1950s here.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19- Yes.- Yeah, yeah.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21You've been married how long?
0:09:21 > 0:09:24On Friday, we will have been married 55 years.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Blackpool was so popular that the railways ran special services
0:09:31 > 0:09:35every weekend, running into the early hours of the morning.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44So, what did you think of Norma when you first saw her?
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Well, she were all right, yeah.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53I couldn't really see her proper!
0:09:53 > 0:09:55THEY LAUGH
0:09:56 > 0:10:00We stopped at Black Lane Station.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03You know, the banking of a railway, like that?
0:10:03 > 0:10:07There were steps, you see, to get off the station, so...
0:10:07 > 0:10:10And I run up the steps with her!
0:10:10 > 0:10:12That's how drunk he was!
0:10:12 > 0:10:13What, on the first date?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15- Yes.- On the first meeting? - Yes.- Yeah.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- You picked her up and ran up the stairs?- Yeah.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20And then I took her home and that were it.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- You walked her home like a gentleman.- Oh, yeah. Oh, aye.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26So the whole point was to meet girls.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29In a way, yeah. It was, it was.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Without the Blackpool Belle,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39many a local romance would never have started,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41and where better to go
0:10:41 > 0:10:45than the splendid Tower Ballroom to dance the night away?
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Barry.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53'Barry McQueen knows everything there is to know about Blackpool.'
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- Welcome to Blackpool. - It's lovely to be here.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58What do you do when you're not dressed like that?
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Well, at the moment this is my Mr Bickerstaff uniform, this is.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07This is for my tours of the town, but when I'm not dressed like this, I'm the official town crier of Blackpool.
0:11:07 > 0:11:13Oyez! Oyez! There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool, noted for fresh air and fun.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16We've got a tower, three piers and a pleasure beach,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and I guarantee we've always got plenty of sun!
0:11:22 > 0:11:29Bradshaw describes Blackpool as "a pretty bathing place on the Irish Sea, much frequented by visitors.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32"In 1863, a new pier was opened,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35"which forms a most pleasant promenade."
0:11:38 > 0:11:43Blackpool was just starting life as a seaside resort in Bradshaw's time.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Then the railways arrived, bringing thousands of holidaymakers every summer.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Within a few years, theatres, the Winter Gardens
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and three piers were built.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59And in 1879, almost 100,000 people came to see
0:11:59 > 0:12:02the first illuminations, known as Artificial Sunlight.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Bradshaw's name may not be recognised now,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10but his railway timetable was a household name
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and the Victorians wrote comic songs about him.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- You are doing today a very special performance for me. - I certainly am today.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21I'm going to sing a song with our wonderful organist here at the Tower, Phil Kelso.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25We're going to sing a song called The Bradshaw Guide.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28It's an old music-hall song, quite a catchy tune, actually.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33- Ready to give your performance? - I think we should get in there. We've got an audience as well!
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- So I think we'll get in there. - Thank you. Let's go.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43APPLAUSE
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Thank you. And stay, don't sit, because here's the next one for you this afternoon, the bossa nova.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52Michael, a warm welcome
0:12:52 > 0:12:56to the world-famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- Thank you and good luck to you. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03A fantastic space, with this brilliantly painted ceiling and its lanterns
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and its gold and its composers' names around the outside.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11- Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. - I must take a seat.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14This afternoon, Phil and myself, we're going to do a song
0:13:14 > 0:13:19about a railway timetable, called The Bradshaw Guide.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22# I had to take a journey a little while ago
0:13:22 > 0:13:25# Somewhere down the Midlands The counties you must know
0:13:25 > 0:13:29# A charming little creature was seated by my side
0:13:29 > 0:13:32# And asked if she could borrow my Bradshaw guide
0:13:32 > 0:13:36# The lady was in trouble with absence of mind
0:13:36 > 0:13:39# She could not recollect a journey for the ride... #
0:13:39 > 0:13:43It seems crazy to us today to write a hit song about the railways,
0:13:43 > 0:13:48but Bradshaw's new guidebooks had captured the imagination of the Victorians.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50# ..Sandringham, Alverston or Warrington
0:13:50 > 0:13:53# Alvediston and Dorchester or Rochester and Rye
0:13:53 > 0:13:57# Adlington and Darlington Warrington and Torrington
0:13:57 > 0:14:03# Sure that she would find it in the Bradshaw's guide. #
0:14:03 > 0:14:05APPLAUSE
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Now, one thing I won't find in my Bradshaw's guide is the Blackpool Tower itself.
0:14:17 > 0:14:24That opened in 1894, a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower.
0:14:24 > 0:14:30For sixpence, you could travel over 500 feet up, to enjoy the view from the top.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33It may cost a little more today, but that doesn't stop
0:14:33 > 0:14:36around half a million people trying it out every year.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Have you been up the tower before? - Oh, yes. Years ago.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- Years ago.- A lot of years ago. - What do you remember of it?
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Just this, and being very windy at the top.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- I think it's going to be windy today, don't you?- Yeah.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- Get a lovely view, though. - Beautiful.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Just as you remembered it?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Yeah, yeah. Better actually, now.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59- Why?- I don't know, you seem to appreciate it more.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04When you're little, you're just excited about going up and don't bother, really.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06- Were you very little when you went up?- About ten.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13When it was opened, visitors had to use ladders to reach the top.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Thankfully, today, the steps are a little steadier.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20There's no netting or anything and there's waist-height railings all around the edges.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- I'll follow you up. - I'll try to resist the temptation.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Please don't. Oh, no, please do, sorry! Please don't jump!
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- Please don't... - You must be one of my voters!
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Up and up and...
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Whoa!
0:15:49 > 0:15:51You really need a head for heights here.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55It's very windy and it's quite a low rail, but it's a great view.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00And Blackpool, like so many seaside resorts, has that nostalgic feel to it,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04but the people I've met here have been really warm-hearted
0:16:04 > 0:16:09and this town gives - to its many faithful visitors -
0:16:09 > 0:16:11a really engaging welcome.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21But, for me, Blackpool signifies the autumn trek north to attend
0:16:21 > 0:16:24the political rally of the year.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26This hotel is full of memories for me.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29I must have been here for a dozen Conservative Party conferences
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and this place was always teeming
0:16:31 > 0:16:34with people and television crews and journalists
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and I remember, on that staircase, the Prime Minister, with her entourage, would sweep through
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and all the flashbulbs would be going off.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- Evening.- Michael Portillo, checking in, please.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Thank you. Just your signature there and there.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Thank you very much. It's lovely to be back.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- Lovely. Have you stayed with us before?- Oh, yeah.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00You've got this place rigged out like a political museum.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Could I have a glass of red wine, please?
0:17:06 > 0:17:13Of course, in the bar is where all the chicanery went on.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16This is where all the politicians would be talking to the journalists.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21Whenever you read in the newspaper, "Sources close to the Foreign Secretary say..."
0:17:21 > 0:17:24What they mean is the Foreign Secretary told us over a drink.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- There you are, sir. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28- Thank you.- To your good health,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and to the memory of all those politicians
0:17:31 > 0:17:32who've drunk in this bar.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44I've spent many nights in this hotel in Blackpool,
0:17:44 > 0:17:49but this is the first time I've enjoyed the best room in the building, the Royal Suite.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Now, Margaret Thatcher never spent the night here,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55but Tony Blair as Prime Minister did
0:17:55 > 0:17:57and David Cameron has been here too.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03So, I suppose that's the nearest I'm going to get to knowing what it feels like to be Prime Minister
0:18:03 > 0:18:05or, for that matter, leader of the opposition.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13Before I continue on my journey, there's just one more thing to do.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18I can't come to Blackpool without meeting one of its comedians.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Joey, I recognise you. I saw your name in lights.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23Hello, Michael.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28'Joey Blower has performed in Blackpool countless times over the last 16 years,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31'although his connections to the town go back even further.'
0:18:31 > 0:18:36- You did come as a kid, though? - Oh, definitely, I think everybody came to Blackpool as a child.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39It was the place to come. Even though Spain, when I was a child,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42was very popular, there's nowhere like Blackpool.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- You used to see the comedy shows? - We went to see every show.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Crikey, when I was a child, there was theatres on every pier.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50North Pier Theatre, South Pier Theatre,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53there was shows in every hotel, in every bar.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57There was...people came to Blackpool for a week's holiday
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and couldn't take in all the shows,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02- they'd have to do matinees. - Big audiences?- Ah, big audiences!
0:19:02 > 0:19:07They'd sell out. 3,500 people in the Opera House, it was absolutely phenomenal.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Don't tell me you're not getting 3,500 in your audience.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13No, we probably get about 5,500 in to see my show,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16but that's the only successful show I've ever done
0:19:16 > 0:19:19when we had 5,500 people in. Thousand, did you say? Sorry.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25I understand they're going to be commemorating the great catchphrases here in Blackpool.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27If you see the building works over there,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31that's where they're doing "a comedy carpet".
0:19:31 > 0:19:35The carpet will be an area of stone paving the size of a football pitch.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41It will be engraved with catchphrases from the world's comedians, spanning generations.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43There'll be "Nicky, nacky, nicky, nacky, noo", probably.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45That'll be over two slabs, I'm sure.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And there's going to be catchphrases from Arthur Askey,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50such as "Hello, playmates",
0:19:50 > 0:19:53and there'll be Peter Kay "garlic bread", I'm sure.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56The beauty of that is the different generations that come now...
0:19:56 > 0:19:58My granddad wouldn't know what "garlic bread" meant,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01he'd think that was just a menu that had been put in the carpet!
0:20:01 > 0:20:04So I'd have to explain what Peter Kay's comedy was all about.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07He would then, hopefully, become a fan of Peter Kay.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10He would then explain to me what "Hello, playmates" was all about.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I would then start to watch some of the Arthur Askey stuff
0:20:13 > 0:20:16and it could be a bonding thing for all the generations of families
0:20:16 > 0:20:19to get to know what comedy was like then and now,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21because comedy's evolved massively.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Can I do you now, sir?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Well, not at this pace, no!
0:20:27 > 0:20:30So that's it in Blackpool.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35My journey now continues up the coast,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38along another branch line to Morecambe Bay.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44I'm on a really spectacular bit of railway track now
0:20:44 > 0:20:47as we cross a bridge over an inlet of Morecambe Bay
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and my Bradshaw's guide says,
0:20:49 > 0:20:54"Morecambe Bay is a fine sheet of water, eight or ten miles wide when the tide is up,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57"but at low tide, its quicksands are extremely treacherous
0:20:57 > 0:21:02"and must on no account be crossed without the guide who's paid by the Government."
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Amazingly, 160 years later, there's still an official Government guide
0:21:08 > 0:21:12who lives near this remote station, Kent's Bank.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Thank you.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21Ah, there can't be many railway stations with a view like this
0:21:21 > 0:21:26over the grass and sheep meadow towards the bay.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Fabulous, fabulous view.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32And I love this too.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I'm actually allowed to walk across the railway line.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Stop, look, listen,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40use your common sense.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43No health and safety overkill here!
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Morecambe Bay is the largest expanse of tidal mud flats in Britain.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56With its rapid tides and shifting sands,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01it's every bit as treacherous now as it was in Bradshaw's day.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04The job of guide is a job for life.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Cedric Robinson is the current officeholder.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- Cedric.- Hello.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- Hi.- Very pleased to meet you.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17- Do I have the honour of addressing the Queen's guide to the sands? - Lovely title, isn't it?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Yes, fantastic. How old is that title then?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Well, it goes back to the early 1500s actually, before the Queen.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25What are your duties to the public?
0:22:25 > 0:22:30- You're bound to offer guidance to anyone wanting to walk on the sands, are you?- Yes.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Before that time, many lives were being lost on these sands.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It's a lot of responsibility, but I'm very laid back and I don't look at it as a responsibility.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I've been on the sands all my life. We've lived in this house 47 years.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45This belongs to the Queen, this property.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Was it the pay that attracted you?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Oh, by gum, aye! Yeah!
0:22:49 > 0:22:54- What are you paid? - Well, I'm paid £15 annually, right?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57£15 per year and I'm given the cheque and a big smile.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- And you get the cottage...- We get the cottage.- ..thrown in?- Yes.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Mind you, they do say when they give me the £15, "rent deducted",
0:23:04 > 0:23:06so I never know how much rent I pay!
0:23:09 > 0:23:11What's it safe for us to see today?
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Safe for us to see? Well, it's safe...
0:23:14 > 0:23:16As long as you're with me, it's safe, right?
0:23:16 > 0:23:20If you went out there on your own, I could wave bye-bye to you.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22The bay spans almost 200 square miles,
0:23:22 > 0:23:27and Cedric conducts tours across the sands for walkers about once a fortnight,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30sometimes taking over 100 people.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38It's very impressive countryside and dramatic vista, this, isn't it, Cedric?
0:23:38 > 0:23:43It's a lovely area. I mean, I don't think there's anywhere else
0:23:43 > 0:23:46as nice as Morecambe Bay, but it has its dangers.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49So, what really is the nature of the danger here?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Firstly, there's the speed of the incoming tide.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56You could never outrun it, and the tide never tires.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And, secondly, there's the dangerous quicksands.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And we're approaching now a dyke which only a few weeks ago
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I brought hundreds of walkers across safely
0:24:04 > 0:24:06and when we approach it now and look at it,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10you wouldn't dare set foot anywhere near it. It's all quicksands.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13If you were in a quicksand, would it really suck you in?
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Well, the danger is, people tend to stop. When the sand gets soft,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20they stop, and that's the worst thing you can do.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24You must always keep moving, and the other thing with quicksands is,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28if you lie even on dangerous quicksands, you won't go down. You can lie flat and roll out of it.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32where if you just stood there like a fool, you would go down like a stone.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36- Like a stone? - Yes. I've seen two horses go down in quicksands in my lifetime.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39They didn't disappear altogether and luckily when the tide come,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44it covered them and the buoyancy of them struggling, floating, brought them out to the surface.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I've seen tractors go down and they're still down.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Cedric, a lot of people, I'm afraid, will associate Morecambe Bay
0:24:51 > 0:24:54with the tragedy of those Chinese cockle pickers a few years ago.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00- What happened there?- These Chinese cockle pickers had gone out when they should have been coming back in.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03It was quite high tides, a really cold night and...
0:25:03 > 0:25:08I mean, there'd been a lot of cockle pickers on that area that day, and they'd come home,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12but seemingly these cockle pickers were almost forced to go out
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and I don't think they could speak much English
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and they didn't know the state of the tides.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19So they were just cut off by the water?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Wherever the river is, that's the lowest part of the bay.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25The tide comes up there first. That was behind them.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26There was a wind blowing,
0:25:26 > 0:25:28they wouldn't even know the tide was coming in.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31They were just working there until it just came
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and they'd be on an island, it would just close in on them.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- Very, very sad. - That's terrible, isn't it? Terrible.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46- That's all quicksands.- So if I set foot in there, I'd disappear?
0:25:46 > 0:25:50You wouldn't come out again. That is so dangerous.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Changes are so frequent.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55I think I'll stick by your side, Cedric.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00Well, one thing is certain, you may keep by my side, but we're not going down in that area!
0:26:00 > 0:26:02THEY LAUGH
0:26:05 > 0:26:11In the 19th century, Morecambe Bay was a remote area of small, shell-fishing villages,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13but the trains made it more accessible
0:26:13 > 0:26:17and very soon fresh cockles, prawns, shrimps and lobsters
0:26:17 > 0:26:21were all on their way to the fish market in Manchester.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27People still brave the sands to gather shellfish from Morecambe Bay,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29but in smaller quantities.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Luckily, some of the local catch is still on the menus today.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39So, here we are, Morecambe Bay potted shrimp.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Warm, buttery,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48spicy,
0:26:48 > 0:26:53perfect for coming off the sands and that cold, cold wind.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54Delicious.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07The remote communities of the north-west coast of England
0:27:07 > 0:27:10were virtually impenetrable before the railways came
0:27:10 > 0:27:16and then they took holidaymakers and fun, laughter and prosperity
0:27:16 > 0:27:18to a town like Blackpool.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20But, for rural communities,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23dependent on the produce from the land or the sea,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27the railways provided that vital lifeline,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30the thing that's enabled them to survive.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47On my next journey, I'll be exploring
0:27:47 > 0:27:49the historic Settle to Carlisle line.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51I'll find out what's happened to it
0:27:51 > 0:27:53since I convinced Margaret Thatcher to save it.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55You know, of all the things I did,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58it's the one that I can still point at and say,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00"Look, that made this difference."
0:28:00 > 0:28:05I'll discover how building the route claimed so many lives.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Of all the chapels along the line,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10this, sadly, has got the most number of deaths.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15And I'll be getting the thrill of a lifetime.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16This is a fantastic sight
0:28:16 > 0:28:20as the steam engine begins to go over the Ribblehead Viaduct.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24You'll never see another sight like this on a railway in Britain.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:37 > 0:28:40E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk